{"title":"Factors influencing nesting success of the river lapwing, Vanellus duvaucelii (Lesson, 1826)","authors":"H. Mishra, Vikas Kumar, Ashish Kumar","doi":"10.1177/1758155920921072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155920921072","url":null,"abstract":"Nesting success is defined as the percentage of nests that have at least one chick that successfully fledges from them. In this regard, this study was conducted in the Gangetic plain of district Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh), India, to investigate nesting success, resolve factors affecting the probability of nest failure and identify the predominant nest predators of the river lapwing, Vanellus duvaucelii. The line transect method was adopted to count the nesting pairs, while nesting success was estimated by the Mayfield method. Results revealed that river lapwing nests were not homogeneously distributed at the study sites. The number of nesting pairs significantly diverged at various study sites in different years. Nesting success of river lapwings at all habitat types varied across the year of study from 67.9% in 2016, to 63.6% and 70.1% in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In all years, river lapwing nests on open, unvegetated river banks achieved significantly greater nesting success than those in crop fields. However, nest failure was mainly due to predation (55%) and farming activity (32%). Furthermore, trampling (6%) by domestic cattles such as cows and buffaloes, egg non-viability (4%), human disturbance (2%) and flooding (1%) were reported as other notable factors influencing nest failure. We also found reptiles, birds and mammals as predators of eggs in the study areas. The most common predators were crow, dog, fox and snake. There is little information regarding factors influencing nesting success of river lapwings particularly in India and therefore this study increases our knowledge of this globally near-threatened species. Developing greater understanding of the river lapwing could help us to formulate effective conservation measures for this species.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"13 1","pages":"35 - 43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155920921072","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48385526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The functions of tail flicking in birds: A meta-analysis","authors":"C. Randler, Nadine Kalb","doi":"10.1177/1758155920921085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155920921085","url":null,"abstract":"Tail flicking is a common behavior that can be observed in many bird species. Various studies have investigated this behavior in different contexts such as during foraging, social interactions, or during predator–prey interactions. Nonetheless, there has been no statistical synthesis of results concerning the most commonly hypothesized functions of tail flicking. We conducted meta-analyses of published studies reporting flicking rates of birds in different contexts to identify a general function of tail flicking across species. We found evidence that tail flicking does not serve only one function but most likely has various functions across species. We found the general trend for flicking being a reflection of vigilance and predation risk. Flicking was related to flock size as rates decreased with increasing flock size, which might be related to a decreased individual predation risk in larger flocks. Moreover, we found flicking to be related to body condition and prey flushing. However, effect sizes for these hypotheses were only available from very few studies (body condition k = 2, prey flushing k = 3). Hence, future research concerning these two functions are necessary. Finally, our results suggested that flicking is not used for social communication, as it was not related to the presence of a conspecific or social status of an individual.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"13 1","pages":"70 - 77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155920921085","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65573446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reconstructing distribution of the Eastern Rock Nuthatch during the Last Glacial Maximum and Last Interglacial","authors":"M. Yousefi, A. Shabani, H. Azarnivand","doi":"10.1177/1758155919874537","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155919874537","url":null,"abstract":"Species distribution models have many applications in ecology, conservation, biogeography, and even paleoecology. In this study, we modeled the distribution of the Eastern Rock Nuthatch (Sitta tephronota), a common rock dweller bird in Iranian Plateau, and determined most important climatic variables affecting the distribution of the species. We then projected the species distribution into the past, the Last Glacial Maximum (21,000 yr BP) and Last Interglacial (~120,000– 140,000 yr BP), to investigate how the species’ range would have changed through time. Results indicated that Zagros Mountains, Alborz Mountains and Kopet Dagh Mountains in the northeast of Iran are the most suitable habitats for the Eastern Rock Nuthatch. Annual mean temperature and annual precipitation identified as the most important variables in predicting the distribution of this species. During the Last Glacial Maximum, potential distribution of Eastern Rock Nuthatch was larger from its current distribution; however, the species’ climatic niche remains relatively stable since the Last Glacial Maximum. Our results also showed that during the Last Interglacial, distribution of the Eastern Rock Nuthatch was restricted to high elevations and was very different compared to its current distribution.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"13 1","pages":"3 - 9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155919874537","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44402251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Diurnal raptors of West Africa woodland-farmland mosaics: Data from walking-transects in eastern Guinea-Bissau","authors":"Patrícia Rodrigues, Marco Mirinha, L. Palma","doi":"10.1177/1758155920901424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155920901424","url":null,"abstract":"Guinea-Bissau is a small country in West Africa, which in spite of its rich biodiversity and the high proportion of protected areas remains under-surveyed in relation to most animal groups, including raptors. The first scientific articles about raptors were only very recently issued. Here, we report raptor occurrence data from eastern Guinea-Bissau. Raptors were surveyed in the dry season along transects walked around 21 villages in a rural woodland-farmland mosaic landscape. The raptor assemblage is composed of 25 species of which the hooded vulture, the lizard buzzard and the African harrier-hawk were the species more often encountered, followed by the African white-backed vulture. The palm-nut vulture, black kite, brown snake-eagle, grasshopper buzzard, African hawk-eagle, grey kestrel and lanner falcon were secondary, although not uncommon species. The remaining species were seldom recorded. The study complements previous knowledge on this bird group, specifically in the central-eastern part of the country, and reaffirms the international relevance of Guinea-Bissau for the conservation of the hooded and African white-backed vultures.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"13 1","pages":"18 - 23"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155920901424","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46218670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Y. Moon, Kwanmok Kim, Jinhan Kim, Hwa-Chung Kim, Jeong-Chil Yoo
{"title":"Use of stable isotopes (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) to infer the migratory connectivity of Terek Sandpipers (Xenus cinereus) at stopover sites in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway","authors":"Y. Moon, Kwanmok Kim, Jinhan Kim, Hwa-Chung Kim, Jeong-Chil Yoo","doi":"10.1177/1758155919901243","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155919901243","url":null,"abstract":"Stable isotopes are well documented as effective intrinsic markers to infer migratory connectivity which provides key information for establishing an effective conservation strategy in migratory birds. However, there are few studies using stable isotopes that have been applied to long-distance migratory shorebirds globally and such studies are especially scarce along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. We used stable isotope analysis (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) to infer breeding and wintering areas and examine the differences in those values among populations of Terek Sandpipers (Xenus cinereus) at stopover sites in South Korea. The range of δ2H in feathers sampled from birds caught in the Korean peninsula at spring and autumn migration stopover sites was consistent with them being grown at sites throughout their flyway as confirmed by leg flag resightings of birds on this flyway. The eastern Siberia region from Yakutsk to Norilsk and Chukotka in Russia was inferred as the most probable breeding area of the population. Papua New Guinea in the Melanesia region, Malaysia and Indonesia were identified as the most probable wintering areas. Isotope values of populations at different stopover sites and different seasons were consistent. These results suggest that stable isotopes can be effectively used alongside other existing methods (e.g. ringing, coloured leg flags, light level geolocation, satellite tag telemetry) to infer the migratory connectivity for long-distance migratory shorebird species that occur over many countries and continents.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"13 1","pages":"10 - 17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155919901243","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49193745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mauricio Peñuela, F. Rondón, R. González, H. Cárdenas
{"title":"Transcontinental genetic inference of urban pigeon populations using phenotypic markers","authors":"Mauricio Peñuela, F. Rondón, R. González, H. Cárdenas","doi":"10.1177/1758155919866550","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155919866550","url":null,"abstract":"Domestic pigeons have high polymorphism in plumage morphs and colours. The genes that affect colour and coat patterns can be used to estimate genetic profiles that allow us to deduce the structures of populations, establish whether they are in a population equilibrium and learn the genetic similarity among them. This article tested these population components and the existing relationships among cities in northern South America, Western Europe and Singapore (Southeast Asia) through the inventory of phenotypic frequencies and the estimation of allele frequencies for the Pattern, Grizzle, Background colour, Spread, Crest, Recessive white and Feathered feet loci. The Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was evaluated based on the Pattern and Grizzle loci. The results showed a higher genetic diversity in populations from northern South America with respect to the one from Western Europe, although the differentiation among cities was low (GST = 0.0759). Several populations were not in the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium for the evaluated loci, and a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances was not found. The relatively small home range of the pigeons and the dispersion carried out by humans are discussed as possible explanations for the current genetic profiles.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"12 1","pages":"152 - 162"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155919866550","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42055290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F. Aznar, José Monterde-López, Samuel Aunión-Díaz, H. Lehto, E. Circella
{"title":"First evidence of avian pox-like outbreaks in Eurasian coots, Fulica atra, from Europe: A widespread phenomenon?","authors":"F. Aznar, José Monterde-López, Samuel Aunión-Díaz, H. Lehto, E. Circella","doi":"10.1177/1758155919860349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155919860349","url":null,"abstract":"Avian pox is a disease caused by Avipoxvirus spp. that is known to produce self-limiting, proliferative epithelial lesions in over 275 bird species from 70 families. Although generally benign, this emerging disease can sometimes provoke significant outbreaks of mortality. In rallids, there is a single serological record of Avipoxvirus. In this study, we report on field evidence for two avian pox-like outbreaks in Eurasian coots, Fulica atra. In Utterslev Mose, Denmark, 17 birds were found in the winter and early spring of 2006 with putative signs of pox-like lesions on the frontal shield and bill. Similar lesions were detected in a population of c. 30 Eurasian coots from a small wetland in eastern Spain in the winter of 2018. Birds with active lesions were detected up to 73 days after first finding, and percentage of birds with lesions also increased in this period (from 9.1% to 69.6%), then declined. Lesions of individual birds were observed to heal in 2 weeks. Three young coots exhibited severe lesions that hampered breathing. In other 17 wetlands from the same region, pox-like lesions were detected in 8 out of 843 Eurasian coots from three localities (maximum prevalence: 18.8%) and 1 of 8 Crested coots, Fulica cristata, in one locality. Reports from European birdwatchers describing coots with abnormal frontal shields suggest that some of these birds likely suffered also from avian pox. This disease, unnoticed thus far, could be geographically widespread, thus its potential population impact should not be underestimated, especially in Crested coots.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"12 1","pages":"139 - 144"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155919860349","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44552299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A status of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) and pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) population transferred from wildlife to the breeding assessed based on the histone H1.c’ polymorphic variation","authors":"A. Kowalski","doi":"10.1177/1758155919860351","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155919860351","url":null,"abstract":"The genetic changes accompanying a relocation of population to the captivity are mostly adverse and usually associated with deterioration of its status. These alterations are greater in small populations in which a loss of genetic variation limits the capability to adaptation. In this work, a status of small-sized guinea fowl and pheasant population relocated to the breeding is presented. These populations were analyzed based on the polymorphism of histone H1.c’, the protein for the first time identified as a heterogeneous. Histone H1.c’ was resolved in the two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel into the isoform H1.c’1 and H1.c’2, so its heterogeneity corresponds to the presence of homozygous phenotypes c’1 and c’2. Because no histone H1.c’ heterozygous phenotype was found, a significant phenotypic diversity in the guinea fowl (P = 0.023) and pheasant (P = 0.018) population was detected, together with its departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.0001). Both populations characterize an extreme loss of genetic diversity due to complete inbreeding (F = 1) and an impact of genetic drift which, according to the expected values for guinea fowl (0.192) and pheasant (0.182) population, may strongly diminish allele frequency in the following generations. Thus, condition of populations evaluated based on the histone H1.c’ polymorphic variants, recognized as reasonable informative genetic markers (polymorphism information content of guinea fowl = 0.4 and pheasant = 0.38), corresponds to reduction of genetic variability caused by inbreeding and genetic drift. Therefore, it seems that rearing in the captivity can bring negative effects that favor restriction of animals’ vitality and survival of the population.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"12 1","pages":"145 - 151"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155919860351","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48079955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Guilherme, Afonso D. Rocha, Hugo Lousa, J. A. Alves
{"title":"Are artificial agricultural ponds a suitable alternative nesting habitat for the Little Ringed Plover?","authors":"J. Guilherme, Afonso D. Rocha, Hugo Lousa, J. A. Alves","doi":"10.1177/1758155919856770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155919856770","url":null,"abstract":"Climatic scenarios for the Mediterranean predict an increase in drought and erratic precipitation, which may affect waterbirds breeding in freshwater habitats. Artificial wetlands may provide an alternative for these species when conditions in natural habitats deteriorate. We studied Little Ringed Plovers Charadrius dubius nesting in natural streams and agricultural ponds in southern Portugal. Based on 24 nests and 31 colour-ringed adults, we describe nest-site characteristics, breeding parameters and site fidelity. In streams, nests (n = 17) were in sites with more abundant and coarser gravel, while in ponds there was more vegetation around the nest (n = 7). In both habitats, nests were close and at similar distances to water, but this was unrelated to nest outcome (success of 30.8% across habitats). Nest failure in natural streams was mostly attributable to flooding after heavy rains, while in agricultural ponds cattle trampling was the main cause of failure. Based on their renesting capacity and relatively high breeding site fidelity (25%–36% return rate to same area), we suggest that Little Ringed Plovers may trade-off the overall better conditions of natural streams (i.e. higher availability of nesting substrate, food resources and lower disturbance from cattle) against the stochastic risk of floods. Nevertheless, under current predictions of climate change, agricultural ponds can provide more stable and reliable nesting conditions for this and other species, as unpredictable changes in Mediterranean streams’ flooding regimen may become more frequent. Despite the limitations of our dataset, we provide novel information on the breeding biology of this understudied species and highlight its potential for future research.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"12 1","pages":"133 - 138"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155919856770","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48226764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Current trends in the application of non-invasive genetic sampling to study Neotropical birds: Uses, goals, and conservation potential","authors":"I. Baus, C. Miño, O. Monge","doi":"10.1177/1758155919848229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1758155919848229","url":null,"abstract":"The non-invasive collection of biological samples has proven useful to study a diverse array of research topics worldwide. Here, we present a systematic bibliographical synthesis exploring how the non-invasive collection of genetic samples has been used to study avian populations in the Neotropics. We searched international online databases for scientific publications, spanning from 2007 to 2017, to describe the trends and identify the sample types used, species studied, and research questions addressed. The analysis of 21 articles showed that shed feathers were most frequently used (66.7% of articles), followed by carcasses (14.2%), eggs (9.5%), and non-invasively obtained blood (4.8%); one study used both feces and shed feathers. Most studies addressed population genetic issues (38.1%), followed by species identification (28.6%), phylogenetic questions (14.3%), molecular sexing (9.5%), and parentage analyses (9.5%). Brazil produced almost half (47.6%) of the publications retrieved. Despite an increasing interest in using non-invasive sampling to study Neotropical avifauna, its application is still largely concentrated in the most developed countries in this region and to explore a limited number of questions. A more regular use of non-invasive sampling would help advance the knowledge of ecological, behavioral, genetic, and evolutionary aspects of Neotropical birds. Investigating the extent of human–wildlife conflict, such as impact of road-kills, illegal traffic, and collision with aerial infrastructure or unmanned vehicles, is an underexplored avenue of research in which this method could be of much help. Non-invasive genetic sampling can help tackle conservation problems and pave the way to scientifically informed conservation policies in this avian biodiversity hotspot.","PeriodicalId":55408,"journal":{"name":"Avian Biology Research","volume":"12 1","pages":"125 - 132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2019-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/1758155919848229","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47475628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}